Email, Photo App Gives Seniors What They Want: News From Family. Free iPad App for the Tech Phobic Released For Mother’s Day

Moms over 65 are craving more time with their busy families, and email, photos and videos are often the next best thing to face time. A free iPad app that aims to help families connect–even if they’re not technically savvy–is now available on the App Store. ConnectMyFolks takes emails, texts, photos and videos from any device (phone, tablet, computer) and delivers and sorts them into three “boxes” on the iPad: messages, photos and video.

Housed on the iPad, the most intuitive platform available, the app is designed for people easily overwhelmed by traditional tech devices. It launches with three big buttons – one for mail, one for pictures and one for movies. Forward, back and home buttons make navigation simple. Only the senior user needs the app: those who are sending to and receiving from the user simply use the @connectmyfolks.com email address that accompanies the app. It is also free.

“All any mom wants is to have more contact with her family. ConnectMyFolks makes it so easy for me and for my family to reach out to my mom and keep her connected. This app has changed her life,” says Norma Devereux, whose 84-year-old mother, Norma, has been using the app in its beta form. “It just encloses the family, draws them closer together,” Norma adds.

Her grandson, Chris, credits the better connection to its simplicity. “None of the younger or more tech savvy family had to do anything besides use the @connectmyfolks.com address. We can use our phones, tablets, computers, whatever we have. We didn’t need to download software. We just send her email, photos and videos. We use texting to send photos, even. She loves it, so we keep sending.”

The app developers say that the simplicity and security are what’s attracting users. “Only people on the senior’s approved list can communicate through the app. That gets rid of spam, scammers and other threats. Whether it’s a nephew who’s always asking for money or it’s a random phishing attempt, those emails won’t get through,” co-founder Steve Lee says.

ConnectMyFolks was developed by In the Loop, a Eugene, Oregon, company devoted to the use of technology to solve everyday challenges faced by modern families. Learn more at www.connectmyfolks.com.